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A recent study by an international team including Dr. Rick Wassing from Woolcock, sheds light on the profound impact of sleep on emotional and mental health.

The research published in Nature Reviews Neurscience, delves deeper into the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of a good night's sleep on emotional well-being.

Wassing, with two years dedicated to the project, said the study focused on elucidating the "why" behind the age-old understanding of sleep's role in emotional regulation.

By analyzing research spanning over two decades in neurobiology, neurochemistry, and clinical psychology, the team unveiled the intricate interplay of neurochemicals like serotonin and noradrenaline during sleep, crucial for processing emotional memories and maintaining long-term mental health.

Serotonin plays a crucial role in various facets of emotional learning, contributing significantly to our understanding and appraisal of our surroundings. Conversely, noradrenaline is closely associated with the "fight or flight" response, enabling swift assessment and reaction to potential threats.

During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, both serotonin and noradrenaline are effectively suppressed, presenting a unique opportunity for the brain to engage in processes that are typically inaccessible during wakefulness, as explained by Wassing.

According to Wassing, emotional memory processing during sleep primarily involves two key brain regions: the hippocampus and the amygdala. The hippocampus facilitates the consolidation and organization of newly acquired information, categorizing it into the 'novelty' memory store.

Meanwhile, the amygdala, particularly active during emotionally charged experiences, collaborates with the autonomic nervous system, manifesting physiological responses such as increased heart rate and visceral sensations.

During REM sleep, the brain undergoes a process of memory reactivation, akin to a recapitulation of recent experiences. Remarkably, this replay occurs without the activation of the noradrenergic and serotonergic systems, enabling the transfer of these memories to the 'familiar' storage without eliciting the physiological "fight or flight" response.

However, such memory consolidation is hindered during wakefulness or in cases of disrupted REM sleep patterns, such as those observed in individuals with sleep disorders.

A significant portion of our current understanding of brain information processing stems from the emerging field of optogenetics, a technique utilized to precisely manipulate specific cell types within neuronal networks. This innovation has empowered researchers to discern the involvement of distinct cell types and brain regions in the encoding of emotional memories.

Wassing highlighted the groundbreaking insights facilitated by optogenetics, particularly in elucidating brain circuitry and neurobiology. While acknowledging the importance of studying neurons, receptors and circuits, Wassing stressed the complementary role of clinical psychology studies.

These investigations have substantiated findings related to the disengagement of amygdala reactivity and the modulation of the autonomic nervous system, further enriching our comprehension of emotional memory processes.

"All three levels of neuroscience align to produce the same conclusion, that the way the brain functions during REM sleep is important for processing emotional memories," Wassing explained, as per Neuroscience News.